


Black

by kiboutozetsubou



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-20 10:38:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3647193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiboutozetsubou/pseuds/kiboutozetsubou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I always thought someone’s favorite type of coffee drink says a lot about them. Don’t you think so, Hinata-kun?”</p><p>-</p><p>Also known as, another obligatory Komahina coffee shop au no one thought was necessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> another birthday fic, but one that i never finished. i'm unsure if i want to, but i'm hoping posting it on here will be motivation to continue.

Hajime Hinata meets Nagito Komaeda by accident one morning when he arrives fifteen minutes early for his shift at the coffee shop.

He’s never one to be early, especially for a minimum-wage part-time barista job. But something compelled him to crawl out of bed just a little early that day. Someone he knew might say he was lucky. Or maybe that he was unlucky. 

When he shows up on this (un)fortunate day, his coworker Nanami is the only one behind the counter, and she’s busy reloading coffee beans into a container. That leaves Hinata to slip behind the counter and get to work early to help the next customer in line.

The next customer is a strikingly pale boy who looks to be about his own age. Which would make sense, since the college Hinata goes to is just down the street, and most of the coffee shop’s customers are students there. The customer beams at Hinata, who tries to return the gesture but finds it difficult to do so early in the morning.

“Good morning,” the stranger says amiably. “I haven’t seen you around here before. I always come at this time, but Nanami-san is the only one here.”

His eyes turn to gaze at Nanami, but the girl shows no reaction upon her name being called. Absently Hinata wonders if she’s fallen asleep. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Instead of confirming this theory, Hinata turns back to the boy in front of him. Who’s still smiling expectantly at him, and it ticks him off a little, because seriously, who’s this happy in the morning?

“I came in early today,” Hinata answers curtly. “Can I get you anything?”

“Hmm.” He crosses his arms, looking at the menu board above them contemplatively. “What would you recommend?”

Hinata’s eye twitches involuntarily in annoyance. Or fatigue. Or both.

The boy continues. “Nanami-san always recommends the sweet drinks, but I’m not so sure if I prefer those. What do you think...” his eyes shoot down to Hinata’s name tag and back up again, “Hinata-kun?”

Hinata grits his teeth together. This would usually be he time where he lies and recommends some expensive drink he’s never tried before, but he’s too tired to say anything but the truth. “All of this crap is too sweet for me. I just like my coffee black.”

Instead of being offended, the boy in front of the counter laughs, spreading his arms out to his sides like he’s had a particularly enlightening epiphany. “I’ll take one black coffee then, please!”

Hinata rings him up and makes the coffee himself—because Nanami has mysteriously disappeared—glad to be rid of such an enthusiastic morning person.

Said morning person, however, doesn’t leave immediately. He stands by the counter and sips his coffee, as though testing it. Hinata bristles, because _seriously, if this guy is going to complain about_  black _coffee_....

He goes to turn away but the boy speaks before he can. “I always thought someone’s favorite type of coffee drink says a lot about them. Don’t you think so, Hinata-kun?”

“Oh yeah?” Hinata asks sardonically. “I guess mine means that my heart’s black too, then?”

He gets a laugh in response. “I’ll see you later, Hinata-kun.” And then he’s gone, as quickly as he had come.

“So you’ve met Komaeda-kun.” 

Hinata jolts at the sudden soft voice and turns to see Nanami standing stoically beside him. “Jeez, don’t scare me like that,” he mumbles.

“Sorry,” she says, absently. Hinata can’t help but roll his eyes a bit. She doesn’t sound sorry. She sounds, as usual, vacant and distracted.

“So you know that guy?” he asks.

After a beat of silence, she nods. “He comes in nearly every day at this time. He’s...” She tilts her head. “... a bit odd.”

“And that’s why you pretended not to notice he was here, right?” Hinata states dryly as he cleans one of the machines. “Because you wanted me to deal with him instead?”

“Hmm... I don’t know what you mean, Hinata-kun.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” He wipes down the counter and straightens the display of pastries. “As long as this isn’t another one of your weird attempts at matchmaking.”

In response, Nanami only smiles and turns away from him, humming softly. Hinata instantly has a bad feeling about this.

 

* * *

 

His bad feeling only intensifies when the strange boy—Komaeda, Nanami said his name was—comes back the next day at the start of Hinata’s shift, and Nanami surreptitiously sneaks into the storage room as soon as the doors close behind him.

Hinata curses her inwardly as he pastes on a semblance of a smile. He really hates morning shifts.

“Good morning, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda greets him. “Ah, it looks like Nanami-san is ignoring me again today.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Hinata mutters darkly. Then, louder, “So what’ll it be today?”

“One black coffee, again, please.” Komaeda smiles as he pulls out a few neatly folded bills. “It did a good job of keeping me awake through my morning classes.”

That basically confirms that he goes to the same university as Hinata, but Hinata doesn’t comment on it.

Unfortunately, Komaeda’s quite perceptive. “We go to the same school, don’t we?” he asks. “I mean, I’m assuming, since you’re probably around the same age as me.”

Hinata nods as he moves to pour the coffee. “I guess we do.”

“I’ve never seen you around campus,” Komaeda comments, watching him intently.

Hinata sets the coffee on the counter. “You probably just don’t remember.”

Komaeda’s fingers close around his cup, cradling its warmth. “Oh, I’m sure I would’ve remembered seeing _you_ , Hinata-kun.”

Which was not an entirely unusual statement on its own, but the way he said it— _did he just..._

Dumbfounded, he doesn’t register at first when Komaeda presses something into his palm. Komaeda turns to the door, coffee cup in hand and ever-present smile on his face. “I’ll see you later, Hinata-kun,” he says, a perfect mimicry of his farewell the day before, and then he’s gone.

Hinata looks down at his hand to see more bills adding up to a very generous tip. He stands there in silence for a few moments longer before he realizes that Komaeda came in later than usual to see him.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata works the morning shift again three days later. Komaeda walks through the door right on cue, and Hinata can’t help but point his finger accusingly. 

“You never used to come in at this time,” he points out.

Komaeda tilts his head and asks pleasantly, “What do you mean?”

He sounds amused, which annoys Hinata even further. “Nanami told me you always came in at the same time, which would be fifteen minutes before my shift. But now, you’ve suddenly started to come in fifteen minutes later, when my shift starts. That’s kind of suspicious, don’t you think?”

A flush of embarrassment creeps up his neck as he becomes aware that he’s rambling. Komaeda is watching him with a look that can only be described as amused, which only makes it worse.

“Hmm...” Komaeda smiles, tapping a finger to his chin as though deep in thought about this accusation. “I don’t know what you mean, Hinata-kun.”

Between him and Nanami, Hinata begins to realize that he’s surrounded by conniving shitstains. No wonder Komaeda and Nanami are friends.

“Whatever.” Hinata decides it’s probably a lost cause. “Are you gonna get something?”

“Eventually,” Komaeda agrees. “But I was hoping we could talk for a bit. I’d like to know more about you, Hinata-kun, since we go to the same school.”

“You do realize I’m working, right?”

Komaeda turns his head slowly and looks around the entirely empty coffee shop. Then he looks back at Hinata pointedly.

Hinata sighs. “Alright, fine.”

“So.” Komaeda leans on the counter and beams at Hinata. “What are you studying?”

His smile is like the sun, too blinding to look at directly. Hinata fiddles with some of the machines behind the counter, fixing his gaze on them, and avoids looking at Komaeda as he answers, “Criminal Justice.”

Without even directly looking at him, Hinata can see that Komaeda brightens impossibly more so at his answer. “What a coincidence!” he says happily. “I’m studying Criminal Justice as well. I’m not sure if I’m really any good at it, though... you’re probably much better at it than I am.”

Hinata is a fairly average student but he doesn’t know anything about Komaeda’s academic skills so he can’t really refute that statement. Instead of answering, he shrugs.

“So are you planning on becoming a lawyer, then?” Komaeda prompts, looking fascinated.

Hinata shrugs again. “Honestly, I’m not all that interested in it, but I guess I’d be decent at it.”

“Ah,” Komaeda says like he’s just had a revelation. “You’re not passionate about it, then?”

“Not really.” Hinata raises an eyebrow, looking up at Komaeda. “I don’t think a lot of people are passionate about what they study. Are you?”

He doesn’t know why he asks the question, but for whatever reason, he feels like he needs to know whatever Komaeda’s answer will be. He’s sure it will be something expectedly unexpected.

“In a sense,” Komaeda replies, folding his arms contemplatively. “A lawyer would be an ideal job for me, I think, because lawyers don’t actively pardon or condemn anyone. For someone like me to presume to pass judgment on others... I’m too incompetent for that. I’m much more comfortable presenting the facts and letting others make conclusions about them.”

Hinata can’t stop himself from scrunching up his face at Komaeda’s self-deprecating tone. “You sound like you don’t give yourself enough credit,” he remarks.

Komaeda laughs lightly, quiet little breaths of air escaping his mouth. “Thank you, Hinata-kun.”

Before either of them can say anything more Hinata hears the door to the back swing open behind him and Nanami’s murmuring voice say, “If you’re both going to be lawyers, you’d be just like Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth.”

Hinata can’t tell exactly what she means by that. He’s played enough Phoenix Wright to know that there are two distinct ways he can interpret that statement.

“I can only hope our cases will be as exciting,” Komaeda comments lightly. “Good morning, Nanami-san.”

“Good morning, Komaeda-kun.” Nanami punctuates her statement with a yawn and rubs at one of her eyes. “Are you getting anything?”

“Ah.” Komaeda smiles as though he’s forgotten why he was originally here. “I guess I will. A black coffee, please,” he tells Hinata, somewhat unnecessarily.

There’s already a brewed pot so Hinata just pours it, while Nanami rings him up. Hinata hands the cup to Komaeda who grins and thanks him as though he’s just done him an unimaginable kindness.

“Good luck with your studies, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda says to him. “Maybe I’ll see you around campus.” He waves to both of them and leaves.

They’re silent for a few moments, watching Komaeda disappear down the street. Then Nanami turns and gives Hinata a knowing look.

“Don’t start,” he grumbles, refusing to look at her. “We were just talking.”

“He’s not so bad,” she comments, airily, as though talking to herself.

Hinata turns his gaze out the window again, watching pedestrians rush by on the sidewalk, where Komaeda had been moments ago. “No, he’s not,” he agrees.

 

* * *

 

The next time Hinata sees Komaeda, he’s heading back to his apartment from his last class of the day. It’s a nice day outside, so he walks slower than usual, admiring the blooming cherry blossoms on the trees. He’s so preoccupied he doesn’t notice someone bounding up beside him.

“Hinata-kun,” says a voice right next to his ear, and Hinata nearly jumps out of his skin.

He turns to yell at whoever startled him but his words die in his throat as he recognizes the bleach-white hair and bright eyes that could only belong to Komaeda. He experiences a brief moment of cognitive dissonance, unused to seeing Komaeda anywhere except his work, as though Komaeda were not supposed to exist in any other situation.

“Uh,” Hinata replies eloquently.

The friendly smile dissipates off Komaeda’s face as quickly as if Hinata had reached out and ripped it off. “Oh, do you not remember me?” he asks solemnly. “That’s understandable, we’ve only met twice and I’m not a very memorable person...”

“I remember you, Komaeda.” The self-deprecation really bothers Hinata and he’s eager to prove Komaeda wrong. “I was just surprised to see you.”

“Oh,” Komaeda says and the smile creeps back onto his face, ever so minutely. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I’ve been told I’m a very scary person.”

Hinata can’t tell if he’s joking or not, but he laughs anyway, because the thought strikes him as ridiculous.

“Are you going to work?” Komaeda asks him.

“Hm?” Hinata stops laughing. “Now? No, I’m going home.”

“What a coincidence,” Komaeda says, a tinge of laughter in his voice as though he thinks coincidences don’t really exist, “I’m going home as well! Do you mind if we walk together?”

Hinata thinks about how a week or so ago he felt like he couldn’t stand Komaeda. There’s really nothing wrong with the guy. He’s a little bizarre, but good-natured and friendly enough—and maybe a bit more than that. He still hasn’t forgotten about Komaeda flirting with him. And yet he hasn’t done or said anything about this, and he’s not sure what that says about him.

“Sure,” he responds with a shrug.

Komaeda stays by his side like an obedient dog, practically bouncing along beside him.

“You seem to be in a good mood today, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata shrugs again. “Am I?”

“Well, usually you don’t seem all too pleased to see me,” Komaeda elaborates. Nothing in his cheerful tone indicates that he might find this type of treatment hurtful, as though he expects it from everyone, and the reverse is what’s surprising.

“Sorry about that,” Hinata finds himself saying. “I’m really not a morning person. You caught me at a better time today.”

“Ah.” Komaeda nods. “If you’d like, I won’t come in to see you in the mornings anymore. Although I do like my black coffee in the mornings...”

Hinata stops short. “So you _do_ come in to see me!” he accuses sharply.

Komaeda halts and blinks, wide. A sheepish grin spreads across his face. He turns away, as though to hide it, but not before Hinata sees it flush a pretty shade of pink. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hinata-kun.”

“Bull- _shit_ ,” Hinata retorts, but he doesn’t think he’s going to get anything else out of Komaeda and doesn’t want to make him too uncomfortable, anyway, so he starts walking again and adds, “Whatever, it doesn’t really matter.”

“It doesn’t?” Komaeda jogs up to his side again, looking like he doesn’t know what to make of that statement, or Hinata in general.

Hinata makes a noncommittal noise.

Komaeda doesn’t have anything to say to that and they walk in silence for a few minutes. Hinata finds his gaze magnetically drawn to the cherry blossom petals, unhindered by wind, dropping from the trees like gumdrops.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Komaeda says after some time. Hinata looks over to notice that he, too, is looking at the cherry blossoms. “Maybe it’s shallow of me, but I’ve always had a great love for aesthetic beauty. Especially beauty that occurs naturally.”

Hinata glances down at the sidewalk, watching as the petals fall and darken on the muddy ground. “Too bad natural beauty is the most temporary,” he murmurs, without really registering what he’s saying.

Komaeda laughs. “Everything is temporary,” he says. “For instance—my time with you.”

Hinata looks at him, perplexed, but Komaeda has stopped and is staring at the apartments they’ve come to. “This is my place,” he adds by way of explanation. “I’ll see you later, Hinata-kun.” He pauses. “Unless...”

“Unless I want to come in?” Hinata suggests brazenly.

“You’re welcome to if you want.” He smiles and Hinata couldn’t turn him down even if he wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3

Maybe he’s imagining it, but it seems Komaeda settles himself down on the couch just a tad too close. He feels his skin prickling at the close contact but he doesn’t dare move, like a deer frozen by a car’s headlights. 

“It’s nice to have someone visiting,” Komaeda says off-handedly, as though talking to himself and not Hinata. “I hope it’s not too boring.” 

He seems to be merely millimeters away and he turns toward Hinata with bright expectant eyes and Hinata feels suddenly nervous, like he’s not sure exactly what he’s doing here. 

“You know,” he says so suddenly he startles even himself, “I actually think I might have something to drink.” 

He makes to get up but Komaeda jumps to his feet before he can move more than a muscle, gesturing for him to sit back down. “I’ll get it, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda says pleasantly. 

He whisks into the other room and Hinata lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. While Komaeda’s gone, he busies himself with scoping out the room. There’s a small television across from him, couched on both sides by towers of books that seem to be arranged by color. Looking closer, it appears to him that most of them are detective novels, although he notes with amusement that there are a few that sound, from the titles, to be romance novels. 

There’s a book lying on the stout coffee table in front of him, as well. He doesn’t recognize the title or the author, but it looks more juvenile than the rest. There’s a white cloud on the cover and it reminds him, absently, of Komaeda’s hair and he thinks it’s fitting. 

His attention is jerked away from the book as the all-too-familiar aroma of coffee wafts into the room. Hinata can’t help but shake his head. What else was he expecting Komaeda to make for him? 

“Shouldn’t this be the other way around?” he comments as he strides into the kitchen. 

Komaeda smiles as he pours two cups of coffee. Unsurprisingly, he leaves both of them black. “Maybe I’m returning the favor,” he says. 

“It’s not a favor.” Hinata accepts the cup that’s offered to him and sits down at the kitchen table. “I get paid to do it.” He doesn’t mention the preposterous tips that Komaeda gives to him, because it’s fairly obvious by now why he gives them, and he’s not sure if he wants to open up that can of worms just yet. 

Komaeda sits down across from him. “You don’t seem to enjoy your job too much, though, Hinata-kun.” 

Hinata shrugs. “It’s a part-time job to help pave my way through college. It’s not like it’s my dream job.” 

Komaeda laughs at that. “It’s not? And I thought coffee-making was a real talent of yours.” 

“Like you could even say that.” Hinata takes a sip of his coffee and fights back a grimace. “You’ve never seen me actually make any drinks.” 

His own statement draws his attention back to a question that’s been unanswered for some time now. “By the way, you said before that a person’s favorite coffee drink says a lot about them. But you never said what mine says about me.” 

The words sound incredibly foolish coming out of his mouth, but he knows Komaeda won’t think they are. He’s not sure exactly why he cares about the answer so much; maybe _because_  no one else would, and yet it seems to hold some sort of importance to Komaeda. He wants to figure out what that importance is, and maybe he can understand this strange boy a little better in the process. 

“Ah.” Komaeda grins impishly around the rim of his cup. “Well, black coffee really suits you, Hinata-kun. In fact, it suits you better and better the more time I spend with you.” 

Hinata raises an eyebrow. “How do you figure?” 

Komaeda puts his mug down and his gaze shifts just left, staring absently past Hinata with a small smile on his face as though remembering a particularly lovely memory. “Because you’re plain. Simple. Nothing special,” he says finally.

Hinata immediately bristles. “What’s that supposed to mean?” All feelings of camaraderie he feels toward Komaeda threaten to vanish. He’s never been so sensitive about anything than he is about being unremarkable. 

“Oh, I don’t mean it like that,” Komaeda hastens to clarify, holding his arms up in front of him in an apologetic gesture. “It’s okay that you’re ordinary. More than okay. You’re...” His head tilts and his eyes gleam. “You’re like me.” 

Most of Hinata’s anger evaporates and he visibly relaxes. He still doesn’t like the idea of being ordinary, and he’s not sure he agrees with Komaeda’s perception of himself, but... well, the way Komaeda says it in that soft, breathy voice of his, hitched up with excitement and a look of captivated admiration on his face, he can’t bring himself to argue. 

Maybe, he thinks as he stares down, into the black liquid that reflects his image back at him, he and Komaeda understand one another more than he thought. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the following week, Hinata is concerned to notice that Komaeda doesn’t come in to the coffee shop to see him at all. He’s even more concerned to notice that he’s concerned. 

He knows Komaeda said something about not coming in to see him, but he assumed at the time that it was a joke. He’s fairly certain that Komaeda meant it as a joke as well, so where is he? 

Perhaps Komaeda simply lost interest in him. His mood sours as he contemplates the possibility. He’s actually grown to like being around Komaeda and considered them, after their last interaction with one another, to be something like friends by now. He finds that he would feel regretful and disappointed if Komaeda stopped coming by to see him altogether. 

Nanami must pick up on his sour mood because one day when it starts to get slow and they have time to themselves, she approaches him as he silently rearranges syrup containers.

“I think you’ve alphabetized and unalphabetized them at least five times now,” she comments lightly. 

Hinata makes a scoffing noise and abandons his efforts, turning to her. “I’m just bored.” 

She nods as though she understands, even though they both know he’s lying. “It seems like you’re a bit preoccupied with something.” 

Hinata makes a noncommittal noise. 

“Is it because Komaeda-kun hasn’t come in at all this week?” 

He isn’t surprised at all that she’s got him pegged. She’s too smart not to notice. In a way it’s what he values most about their friendship. Even if he doesn’t like to talk about how he feels, she can pick up on it anyway. 

Right now, though, he isn’t sure if he wants to talk about this at all. She might think he’s falling into her half-assed matchmaking scheme. 

“It’s weird.” He shrugs, tries to seem indifferent. “For him to suddenly stop coming, I mean.”

“Are you worried about him?” she asks, blunt as always. 

Hinata feels his face heating up and he turns away, trying to find something else to keep himself busy. He rinses out some containers in the sink and wipes them down, scrubbing out any imperfections he sees in the hard plastic, seemingly enraptured in his task. 

“Hinata-kun,” Nanami prompts when he doesn’t answer. She’s standing next to him, not even pretending to be busy. 

“I guess I am, a little,” he admits begrudgingly, his eyes fixed on the steady stream of water flowing out of the sink. 

“I’m glad to see you two have become friends,” she says innocently. 

Hinata feels a small smile tug at one corner of his mouth at the thought. “Yeah. Me too.” 

“I can tell he really likes you,” she adds, maintaining her innocent tone.

Hinata feels his blush coming back and says nothing. It’s not like he doesn’t already know that—what he doesn’t exactly know is how he feels about it.

“Don’t you have a job to be doing?” he shoots back at her, trying to sound annoyed rather than flustered.

He can practically feel her smile. Wordlessly she turns away and goes into the back, probably to grab a broom to sweep up since there’s nothing to really do.

Hinata rinses out containers, watching the dark grounds slip down the drain, and is struck with a sudden thought. He never asked Komaeda what his favorite coffee was. He’d just have to hunt him down at school and ask him.

Maybe once he gets the answer, he’ll make him a free drink the next time he comes in. 

He can’t help but smile again at the thought. 


End file.
